Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Like flatulence, the weather is still as unpredictable as two months ago when I had dinner with Keropokman and his brother at Noodle House Ken (the name must have been translated directly from Japanese). On that day, we were supposed to meet up with other bloggers for dinner but the plan was cancelled, no thanks to the treacherous rain. Since I had a good few hours to go before leaving for KL, I decided to brave the rain and met up with Keropokman whom was stuck in the jam for more than an hour, if I recall correctly. His brother and I reached much earlier as we were already in town. His text message to his brother (whom I have not met before) was clear.

Look for the Chinese Tok Janggut.

Or something like that.

The noodle house reminded me of those smoky, micro eateries in Japan where salarymen hang out after a day’s work. There will be beers, newspapers, magazines, J-tapas, tobacco and some enkas. No one smoked here though.

This has got to be one of the most famous ramen shops in Singapore. I’ve read some really good things about the ramen here and on that rather cold day, I thought a bowl of steaming hot broth and delicious Japanese noodles would be great.

Miso Ramen (S$12)

Kimuchi Ramen (S$12)

Hiyashi Chuka or Cold Noodle (S$12)

Char Siew (S$5)

Gyoza (S$5)

I like my ramen curly and smooth. And the broth has got to be high on salt and fat. And if one can confuse me with the magical touch of MSG, that’s fine too (because we can start to order Japanese beer!). Ken’s Miso Ramen to me, was alright. The miso broth was tasty but I would have preferred a much denser version. I tried a spoonful of the Kimuchi soup. It was spicily good and slightly sourish. As for the cold noodle, the sesame sauce was aromatic but again, too mild for me. The almost lean char siew came slightly tough but the sweet teriyaki-like dressing and crunchy leeks were good complements. The gyoza got my vote for its taste. Like Chinese dumplings, a slight addition of chopped onion or scallion or chives really gives it an edge.

Ken’s not too bad, in my humble opinion. But to compare it with the rest of the ramens I’ve tried here, Miharu still tops. Oh, and the new Yoshimaru’s tonkotsu ramen is not far behind either. I shall blog about that in the near future!

I feel the ramen munchies coming on in waves, getting stronger and more frequent as the countdown to end of workday begins! Where do I go, tell me where, this ramen-deficient office tower is closing in on me!

We can't recall noodles look so fresh and vibrant here over in KL as in real life nor pixs so either it is because of Ken Noodles or the super clean Spore Air or it must be that color busting nikkor lens, again...haha

selba, wow! that's very cool of you to finish up the sentence. certainly brought a new perspective. ;D crackers guy? hehehehehe...oh, i think beer has this numbing effect on the tastebuds. so, it'll take more flavourful stuff like msg so stimulate them. i usually go for salt. ;D

GFAD, haha, i like my soup murky too. this is one of the fine few things that are best seen and eaten murky. oh, hiyashi chuka is definitely suitable in your place. and cold soba with soy sauce too!! ;D OMG, i am soooo not wearing those kung fu garments. the janggut oredi makes me uncle enough..hehehehe

rochester park is somewhere near buona vista. quite posh, me thinks. oh, you have just reminded me to check it out soon! graze or da paolo, me still thinking. ;D

kenny, woah, very cool idea oso! i think maybe can run a competition on this hor? then can give away a prize for the most creative line. hmmm, 1 hairyberry (rambutan), anyone? haha!p/s: me tok janggut? i so old meh? hahahahah!

cumi & ciki, the soup is very good, right? it's like asam laksa sans the fish. i like it but i'm more of a tonkotsu ramen guy. ;D

joe, ya lor! if only there's a ramen shop next to my house these days...ok la, i guess i should stock up on instant ramen already. ;D

550ml jar of faith, the tsunami comes in form of the dense, savoury pork bone soup that will pull you into a storm of wriggly, bouncy ramen. a real ramenatlantis awaits. *looking at my watch: haiz, still too early for a bowl of ramen*...sigh... ;D

keropokman, haha, of course la, dude! it was so hilarious lah. ;D yeah, the weather's been really bad these days. extreme hot and cold all at once. like quenching the ramen liddat...arggh! yay, more friend to bring me around in UK! ok, me definitely not having ramen there. i want my steak! ;D

camemberu, hehe, finally! ;D actually, the ramen here is really not bad. i guess i'm just one of those who prefers really, really dense stock like miharu's. ok lah, the pungent garlic smell from miharu is also another plus for me...hehe

julia, hey, nice meeting you again at hua ting! yupe, cold weather, hot noodles..."is sure bliss" indeed! ;D i guess ken is also known of its consistency, eh? maybe i should go check out the rest of the ramens. oh, and an asahi beer to go with it!

sugarbean, hi hi! yeah, was really good to see you blogging again!! singapore is quite affected by the on-going recession but hopefully, things will take a better turn soon. ;D

maybe you can transit in singapore when u go back to kl from uk! then, can makan here for a day or two! ;D

jason, oh, u mean the real tok janggut ar? i think he is a historical figure from kelantan or terengganu who fought for malaya back in the 17th century. just maybe. cos long time din read history stuff already..hehehe...

live2talk, oh yeah, you reminded me that ken is msg-free! and the stocks are boiled for 8 hours! ;D well, i must say i was more impressed with their gyozas..hehe..check out yoshimaru the next time u head to singapore! ;D

sc, u hv a point about expectations! maybe i was being to idealistic about ken. i shudda gone without any preconception. oh well, maybe i should pay a visit again. this time, no camera or expectations. just me, my ramen and errr, the chopsticks..hehehe...

mimi, ya lor, that's what keropokman calls me. which is cool. ;D hmmm, somehow the saltiness of miso blends well with the subtly sweet corn. i like i like. wonder if they have similar stalls in kl...

backstreetgluttons, haha! in fact it is the combination of all the above. ;D the nikon lens is fantastic eventhough it is just kit. talking about nikon lens, there's a new one out, which is rather affordable as compared to the rest of the EXpensive range but the stock has always been emptied by DX users that i rather find solace in a bowl of ramen now...sigh...

vincent, hi! thanks for your interest! you have a great website! i dont think i fit in the picture as i dont really have much recipes, more so french ones. but hey, i will definitely check out your site more french recipes. tres bien! ;D

ooh good lord, its like watching that movie TAMPOPO.... right after that, insanse ramen craving.... GAHHHHHHHHH...... u mean its been pissing down in singapore too? yesterday rained here for 6 hours i think. kiamat leh.

faye fly, ohhhh, taiwan beef noodle is definitely spicier and more flavourful. japanese ramen has a slightly "ching" or light taste. but i still lurve tonkotsu ramen. ;D

paprika, ok la, i must admit that the opening line was not inspired by my own gasseous experiences..hehe..but the weather is indeed unpredictable these days. actually, i thought of making hiyashi chuka at home. a bottle of sweet Japanese sesame dressing should do the trick. but i'm too lazy lar...

ling239, yes, the colour was milky. i like milky soup too!! ;D but too bad this is miso, not tonkotsu. i prefer tonkotsu anytime.

Shell (貝殼), ya, i think the kimuchi ramen is one of the highlights of the night, besides the gyoza. and your photos make me hungry too! ;D

fbb, now that u mentioned it, i have not watched tampopo yet. must go find "somewhere" already..haha! yeah, it's pissing cats and dogs here too. but i think it's getting better lar, on this little red dot. kiamat, omg! i wanna go with a full stomach la. hehe